Twenty years ago, Wheat Ridge was at a crossroads – it faced declining household sizes, deteriorating homes, and a dwindling sense of community. In response, the city launched Wheat Ridge 2020, a nonprofit meant to transform Wheat Ridge into a lively, sustainable, and connected community. That nonprofit is now called Localworks, and it is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
“Many times, you can live in a community for years and never really feel a part of the community or feel like it’s home,” says Paige Piper, Localworks’ current executive director. “That’s what Localworks brings to communities. We let people feel like it’s home, and both business owners and residents have a home and a voice in Wheat Ridge.”
Localworks’ programs are built around four central pillars: arts and culture, neighborhood revitalization, economic development, and civic engagement. These pillars guide everything from block parties and community cleanup days to business loan programs and civic education courses.
Initially, Localworks took time to gain momentum. “Status quo has its own gravity,” says Britta Fisher, a former executive director who spent 11 years with the organization. “We just had to earn trust that we can change the community, but we can also honor its history and the people who have made it what it is.”
Localworks’ leadership learned early on that building community trust goes hand in hand with getting community members involved. “Some of our most important work is the hardest to quantify,” Piper says. “Like giving people the confidence and knowledge to get involved, or creating a welcoming space where they feel comfortable engaging in tough conversations about things like housing or community change. We realized that it better serves the community to give them more opportunities to get civically engaged – to get information, and then they are empowered to create change, if they wish.”
This is exemplified by two of Localworks’ most successful programs: Wheat Ridge 101 and its sequel, Wheat Ridge 102, a pair of courses co-led with the city to help residents understand how local government works and how they can influence it. “We’ve watched people go from showing up to an event, to serving on a board, to running for city council,” Piper says. “We’ve helped create the next generation of city leaders.”
Fisher echoes this sentiment, citing the story of a local couple, Janeece and Nathan Hoppe, who came to Wheat Ridge after being introduced to the city by their broker who took a Localworks bus tour for prospective homeowners and investors. The Hoppes bought a fixer-upper home, launched a business with support from Localworks’ ‘Building Up Business’ loan program, and became deeply embedded in the community – Janeece even went on to serve on the city council.
“That is exactly the kind of story we originally envisioned,” Fisher adds. “I’m really proud, not only that Localworks works in the way that the community had hoped, but for all the fantastic people like Janeece and Nate who have become fellow visionaries, fellow community people, and people who want to keep making Wheat Ridge better.”
Other Localworks projects are more tangible and measurable. Through its home improvement loan program and Building Up Business loans for local businesses, Localworks has incorporated over $2 million in property improvements along 38th Avenue. The Ridge at 38, Wheat Ridge’s reimagined main street, now draws more than 15,000 people a year to community events.
“Wheat Ridge downtown, if it was the smile of the community, had a lot of missing teeth. These projects have helped to put some teeth back into that smile,” Fisher says.
One of Localworks’ newer projects, opened in March 2024, is the Clear Creek Makerspace – a hands-on facility that offers tools and workshops for hobbyists and entrepreneurs to turn their creative ideas into reality. With living costs rising and the nature of work shifting, the organization hopes to keep building programs like the Makerspace and education series to help residents adapt.
Both Piper and Fisher are quick to credit the City of Wheat Ridge for setting the stage for Localworks’ success. “The trust that we’ve received from the city has allowed us to be who we are today,” Piper says.
Twenty years after it’s inception, Localworks has succeeded in “putting some teeth back into the smile” of Wheat Ridge, ensuring that residents see the city not as a place to pass through, but as a long-term home.
